At the beginning of 2023, the Musical Instrument Museum acquired 14 brass instruments in the tenor and bass registers from the 18th to the early 20th century. These include serpentes in various designs, a bass horn, three ophicleides and several tubas from different regions of Europe.

Roland Szentpáli, solo tuba player of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, will explain and demonstrate the development of low brass instruments in this discussion concert. He will play several instruments from the newly acquired collection. Works by Gilles Farnaby, Wilhelm de Fesch, Fritz Kreisler and Vladislav Blazhevich, among others, will be played on serpent, bass horn, ophicleide and bass tuba. Szentpáli will also perform his own compositions on his newly developed ‘Twoba’. Henrik Szőlks will accompany him on harpsichord and grand piano.

Roland Szentpáli was born in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, in 1977. He began playing the euphonium at the age of twelve and switched to the tuba the following year. He studied in Budapest with Joseph Baszinka, Gábor Adamik and Lászlò Szabò. Internationally, Roland has taken part in courses with Roger Bobo, Mel Culbertson, Manfred Hoppert and Sam Pilafian and has received numerous scholarships to study abroad. He has won prizes in numerous competitions. Roland is also very active as a composer and has written many works for tuba, chamber ensemble and orchestra in a variety of styles. His works have been performed and recorded by the Hungarian Radio Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Béla Bartok Hungarian Academy of Music.

With this concert, the State Institute for Music Research not only bids farewell to the ‘Year of the Tuba 2024’ but also celebrates its 40th anniversary at the Kulturforum location.